ABSTRACT

Formerly known as Ceylon, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a South Asian island nation located in the Indian Ocean. Because of its unique location off the southern coast of India, it has been nicknamed the “Teardrop of India.” The population of 23 million people is distributed around the island, with larger concentrations in the southwest, in metropolitan areas along the eastern coast, and in the north. Colombo, the capital, is home to 619,000 people. The population is ethnically diverse, with the majority being Sinhalese. Other ethnic groups include Sri Lankan Tamil, Sri Lankan Moor, and Indian Tamil. The official languages of Sri Lanka are Sinhala and Tamil, while English is also spoken as a secondary language. As much as 70 percent of the population identifies as Buddhist, while smaller portions are Hindu, Muslim, Roman Catholic, and Christian. Sri Lanka is home to the oldest tree ever planted by a human, the 2,300-year-old Sri Maha Bodhi tree.